Andy Murray expressed his disappointment after failing to win his first grass court match of the season.
The Brit entered the Stuttgart Open on a three-match losing streak at ATP events and he was aiming to find some form now he is back on the surface where he has enjoyed so much success.
But his struggles continued against Marcos Giron who secured a straight sets win over the two-time Wimbledon champion.
The former World number one wants to have at least one more strong run at the All-England Club but he has some work to do if he wants to achieve that.
What did Andy Murray say about his Stuttgart Open performance?
Murray, 37, played the 999th singles match of his career on Wednesday against Giron, which was his first meeting against the American.
One of the most disappointing aspects of his 6-3, 6-4 defeat was his failure to capitalise on break point opportunities.
To illustrate how much of a concern this is for Murray, he has not broken serve on tour since March 24, during his defeat to Tomas Machac in Miami. Even then, he converted just two of 15 break points in the 7-5, 5-7, 6-7(5) loss.
This is something the double Olympic champion alluded to post match. “I’ve been struggling with breaking serve. I’ve not broken for a few matches and that’s usually been a strength of mine,” Murray told reporters.
“On a quick surface like grass, the sets are tight. When your chances come you have to be clinical – he was and I wasn’t.”
When did Andy Murray last win a match?
Murray has not won a match on the ATP Tour since he defeated Tomas Etcheverry in the second round of the Miami Open in March.
He avenged a defeat he suffered at the hands of the Argentine in the opening round of January’s Australian Open.
Murray did not win his first match of the season until a 6-1, 7-6(5) win over Alexandre Müller at the Qatar Open in February, and he has won just four matches since.
He did suffer an ankle injury earlier in the season which hampered his performances, but Murray says he now feels healthy moving further into the grass court season.
“I’ve had some tough months, but physically I feel OK just now – the ankle, the back,” said Murray. “It’s all felt better since going on to grass.”
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